Remembering the Lion of Judah: A Birthday Tribute to Emperor Haile Selassie I

23rd July marks the birth of a man whose influence transcended borders, faiths, and generations, yet whose memory grows dimmer with each passing year in the very land he called home.

Today, as the sun rises over the highlands of Ethiopia, it illuminates a nation that has largely forgotten to celebrate the birthday of its last emperor. Born Tafari Makonnen on this day in 1892, Haile Selassie I would grow to become one of Africa’s most consequential leaders a figure whose legacy echoes from the halls of the United Nations to the recording studios of Kingston, from the diaspora communities of Washington D.C. to the historic Fairfield House in Bath, where his memory is cherished and preserved.

The Silence of Forgetting

In Addis Ababa today, there are no official celebrations. No state ceremonies honour the man who put Ethiopia on the world map as a symbol of African independence and dignity. The irony is profound and heartbreaking: whilst Rastafarians in Jamaica gather to celebrate “His Imperial Majesty’s Earthstrong,” and whilst Ethiopian Airlines, the very institution he founded, carries passengers across continents on wings he helped spread, his homeland remains largely silent.

This silence speaks volumes about the complexity of legacy, the weight of history, and the painful contradictions that define post-revolutionary Ethiopia. Yet for those who remember, for those who understand the full scope of his contributions, today deserves recognition.

Voices from the Royal Household

In the memories of those who served in the imperial court, Haile Selassie emerges as a figure of remarkable discipline and vision. Former palace staff recall his daily routine: rising at dawn, studying multiple newspapers in various languages, receiving dignitaries from around the world. They remember a man who spoke softly but commanded rooms, who could discuss theology with Orthodox priests and international law with foreign ambassadors with equal facility.

“His Majesty never forgot that he represented not just Ethiopia, but the dignity of all Africa,” recalls one former aide, now in his nineties. “Every decision, every appearance, every word was measured against that responsibility.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: A Royal Bond

Perhaps no relationship better illustrated Haile Selassie’s standing on the world stage than his remarkable bond with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen held the Ethiopian Emperor in the highest regard, a respect that culminated in her historic state visit to Ethiopia in 1965, making her the first British monarch to visit the country.

The images of Queen Elizabeth II being received with full imperial honours in Addis Ababa remain among the most striking diplomatic photographs of the 20th century. Her Majesty’s genuine admiration for the Emperor was evident in every protocol, every gesture, every shared moment during that groundbreaking visit.

In a gesture that would prove prophetic and deeply moving, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Haile Selassie the Order of the Garter, Britain’s highest chivalric honour, just before his passing. This extraordinary recognition, rarely bestowed upon foreign heads of state, reflected not only diplomatic courtesy but genuine respect for a man she considered a true statesman and friend of Britain.

Prince Michael Mekonnen: Keeping the Flame Alive

Today, as the world remembers his grandfather, Prince Michael Mekonnen sits in the elegant surroundings of the Wabishebelley Hotel, his eyes glistening with emotion as he speaks of the man he always refers to simply as “Grand Pa.” Despite the passage of decades, Prince Michael’s voice carries the weight of profound respect and love when he discusses the Emperor’s legacy.

“Grand Pa changed not just Ethiopia, but the entire perception of what Africa could be,” Prince Michael reflects, his composure momentarily faltering as he considers the magnitude of his grandfather’s achievements. “Every Ethiopian, whether they acknowledge it or not, benefits from the foundations he laid, the dignity he established, the institutions he created.”

Prince Michael’s dedication to preserving his grandfather’s memory has become a mission that spans continents. From his base in the United Kingdom, he works tirelessly to ensure that the true story of Haile Selassie, complex, nuanced, and ultimately transformative, continues to be told.

Fairfield House: A Palace of Memory

This week, the historic Fairfield House in Bath has been transformed into a centre of remembrance, hosting a series of events celebrating the Emperor’s birthday. This magnificent Georgian mansion, which serves as a UK residence for the Ethiopian royal family, has become an unlikely but fitting shrine to African royalty in the heart of England.

Throughout the week, Fairfield House has welcomed historians, diplomats, members of the Ethiopian diaspora, and British supporters who recognise the Emperor’s contribution to world history. The house’s elegant rooms echo with discussions of his legacy, screenings of historical footage, and exhibitions of royal memorabilia that bring his era to vivid life.

Prince Michael consistently expresses his heartfelt gratitude to the Fairfield House team, whose dedication ensures that these commemorative events maintain their dignity and historical accuracy. “The team at Fairfield House understands that we’re not just preserving family history,” he notes, “we’re maintaining a record of African achievement and international diplomacy.”

His appreciation extends equally to the city of Bath and the broader community of supporters who have embraced this annual tradition. “Bath has become an unexpected guardian of Ethiopian imperial history,” Prince Michael observes with visible emotion. “The warmth and respect shown by this historic English city towards my Grand Pa’s memory is deeply moving.”

The International Stage

Perhaps nowhere was Haile Selassie’s impact more profound than in his role as a global statesman. His friendship with President John F. Kennedy symbolised a new era of African-American diplomatic relations. When Kennedy hosted the emperor of Ethiopia in the 1963, and when Haile Selassie became the first African head of state to address the U.S. Congress, these moments represented more than diplomatic protocol, they were declarations of African equality on the world stage.

Foreign diplomats who worked with him consistently described a leader of exceptional intelligence and cultural sophistication. He spoke French, English, Italian, and several Ethiopian languages fluently, and his understanding of international law and diplomacy was encyclopaedic. At the League of Nations in 1936, his prophetic speech about the Italian invasion of Ethiopia warned the world about the dangers of appeasing fascism, words that would prove tragically prescient.

The Rastafarian Reverence

Perhaps no group honours Haile Selassie’s memory more devotedly than the Rastafarian community. From Jamaica to Ghana, from New York to London, Rastafarians gather today to celebrate the birthday of the man they believe to be the returned Messiah. This profound spiritual connection, born from Marcus Garvey’s prophecy and nurtured by the Emperor’s visit to Jamaica in 1966, represents one of history’s most unique relationships between a political leader and a religious movement.

Bob Marley’s “War,” which set Haile Selassie’s 1963 United Nations speech to music, continues to inspire new generations. The Emperor’s words about racial equality and human dignity found new life in reggae rhythms, carrying his message to audiences he could never have imagined reaching.

The Ethiopian Diaspora’s Divided Heart

For Ethiopians living abroad, Haile Selassie represents a complex inheritance. Many diaspora communities maintain a deep respect for his role in modernising Ethiopia and representing African dignity internationally. They remember the Emperor who founded Ethiopian Airlines, established Addis Ababa University, and brought Ethiopia into the modern world.

Yet this admiration is tempered by awareness of the famines, the authoritarian aspects of his rule, and the poverty that persisted during his reign. Ethiopian restaurants in Washington D.C., community centres in London, and cultural associations in Toronto grapple with this duality honouring the international statesman whilst acknowledging the domestic challenges.

“He made us proud to be Ethiopian when the rest of Africa was still colonised,” reflects an Ethiopian-British professor. “But he also represents the contradictions of leadership the gap between international image and domestic reality.”

Artists and the Creative Legacy

Musicians and artists across Africa and beyond continue to draw inspiration from Haile Selassie’s legacy. From Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatke to contemporary hip-hop artists, from visual artists depicting the Lion of Judah to filmmakers exploring his complex story, creative communities keep his memory alive in ways that official history often cannot.

These artists understand that Haile Selassie’s story is fundamentally about the collision between tradition and modernity, between African identity and global citizenship. Their work captures the tragedy and triumph of a leader who embodied both the possibilities and the limitations of his era.

The African Union’s Foundation

Today, as African leaders gather in the very halls of the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, a city Haile Selassie helped establish as the diplomatic capital of Africa, few may pause to remember the man whose vision made it possible. His role in founding the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 was pivotal in creating the foundation for today’s African Union.

His vision of African unity, articulated in countless speeches and diplomatic initiatives, laid the groundwork for continental cooperation that continues today. The AU’s very existence in Addis Ababa is a testament to his diplomatic foresight.

Ethiopian Airlines: Wings of Pride

Perhaps no institution better embodies Haile Selassie’s modernising vision than Ethiopian Airlines. Founded in 1945 under his direction, the airline became a symbol of African capability and pride. Today, as Ethiopian Airlines pilots fly routes across six continents, they carry forward the Emperor’s dream of connecting Ethiopia to the world.

The airline’s success story, now Africa’s largest and most profitable carrier, began with Haile Selassie’s recognition that modern nations needed modern transportation. The thousands of Ethiopian Airlines employees worldwide are, in a very real sense, beneficiaries of his forward-thinking vision.

The Military Legacy

The military institutions Haile Selassie established, including the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force and modernised army, provided training and opportunity for thousands of young Ethiopians. Whilst the revolution that overthrew him came partly from within these very institutions, the organisational structures and traditions he established continued to influence Ethiopian military development long after his death.

Veterans who served under his reign often speak of the discipline, the sense of national pride, and the professional standards he insisted upon. These men and women, now elderly, represent a living link to an era when Ethiopia’s military was seen as one of Africa’s most professional forces.

The Heartbreak of Forgetting

What makes this birthday particularly poignant is not just the absence of official recognition in Ethiopia, but the broader pattern of historical amnesia that affects much of Africa. In our rush to embrace the future, we often discard the complex figures of our past, losing the opportunity to learn from both their achievements and their failures.

Haile Selassie was neither the divine figure some believe him to be nor the simple tyrant others paint him as. He was a man of his time who attempted to navigate impossible circumstances, maintaining Ethiopian independence in a colonial era, modernising an ancient society, and representing African dignity on a world stage that often denied African humanity.

A Birthday Wish Unfulfilled

Today, as we mark what would have been his 133rd birthday, we might wish for a more nuanced remembrance. Not hero worship, but honest recognition. Not whitewashing of his failures, but acknowledgement of his contributions. Not the silence of forgetting, but the conversation of learning.

From the elegant rooms of Fairfield House, where Prince Michael Mekonnen continues his great-grandfather’s diplomatic tradition of building bridges between nations and cultures, to the archives where Queen Elizabeth II’s photographs with the Emperor remind us of genuine mutual respect between world leaders, the legacy lives on in ways both grand and intimate.

In the end, perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer Haile Selassie is to engage seriously with his legacy, to study his successes and failures, to understand his context and his contradictions, and to apply those lessons to our contemporary challenges.

As the sun sets today over Addis Ababa, over Kingston, over the Ethiopian Airlines hubs in Dubai and Washington, over the gentle hills of Bath where Fairfield House stands as an unlikely monument to African royalty, we remember a man whose influence far exceeded his years and whose story remains far from finished.

The Lion of Judah may no longer roar from his palace, but his echo continues to reverberate through the institutions he built, the movements he inspired, the royal friendships he forged, and the questions he left us to answer.

Happy birthday, Your Imperial Majesty. Your Ethiopia complex, contradictory, and beautiful remembers, even in its silence. And in Bath, in the heart of England, your great-grandson ensures that Grand Pa’s legacy burns as brightly as ever.